Bore-hole drilling including tubing of the drilled hole



March 6, 1962 J. DEsvAux ErAL 3,023,820

BONE-HOLE DRILLING INCLUDING TUBING oF THE DRILLED HOLE Filed May 15, 1957 United States Patent() BGRE-HOLE DRILLING INCLUDING TUBING Y F THE DRILLED HOLE Jacques Desvaux, 17 Ave. du Colonel Bonnet, Paris,

France, and Francois Berthet, 16 Rue Voltaire,

Houilles, France Filed May 13, 1957, Ser. No. 658,785 Claims priority, application France May 16, 1956 6 Claims. (Cl. 17555) `after a certain prior advance of the drilling. The mechanical means by which the tubing is eifected are gen- Yerally separate from those which serve to carry out the drilling or the extraction of the earth. Alternatively, if use is madeof the same mechanical means, the motion of -the latter is transmitted in a manner diierent and distinct to the drilling member or the earth extraction member and to the tubing.

In accordance with the present invention, the movement of the drilling member and that of the driving of the tubing are eiiected, either in a separate manner or simultaneously, directly by the same impulse driving device operating in the same manner which is rigidly coupled alternately or simultaneously with the driving and tubing member.

The driving device thus being employed directly for driving the tubing and the drilling or earth extraction member, may be of any desired type. It is however an advantage to employ a generator of directed balanced impulses with eccentrically-weighted ily-wheels, such as described in the U.S. Patent No. 2,743,585, and in the U.S. patent applications Serial Nos. 542,006 of October 2l, 1955 now Patent No. 2,867,984 and 547,720 of November 18, 1955, now Patent No. 2,942,427.

The driving device may be mounted on a support element separate from the drilling or earth extraction member and from the tubing, and it may be rigidly coupled with these latter, either separately or simultaneously.

VAlternatively, the driving device may be mounted on one of the members to be driven with means for rigidly coupling it to the other and for disengaging it from the first. In particular, the driving device may be fixed to the drillving and rubble extraction member, and it is then this element which may be rigidly coupled at will to the tubing in order to eiect the driving of the latter after a previous drilling operation.

The improvements in accordance with the invention enable the power employed in drilling work to be reduced. The mechanical means employed do not in fact any longer have to overcome during drilling and during driving of the tubing, the whole of the lateral friction over the entire height of the tubing and of the resistance to penetration by the drilling or earth extraction member. The power employed may be applied successively in its totality to the drilling or earth extraction member and to the tubing for the driving of the latter.

The accompanying drawings show by way of examples, forms of embodiment of the invention.

FIG. l is a view in longitudinal cross-section of a drilling device associated with a tubing.

ice

FIG. 2 is a view in longitudinal cross-section of a drilling and rubble extraction device associated with a tubing.

FIG. 3 is a transverse cross-section taken along the line III-III of FIG. 2.

In FIG. l, the device is composed of a retaining means including a system of rods 10 which carries at its base the drilling member 11. The drilling eiected by the member 11 can then be tubed by driving down the tubing 12. With this assembly is associated a driving device 13. This may especially be of the type having suitably arranged motor-driven eccentrically-weighted fly-wheels adopted to rotate in synchronism. This driving device 13 is mounted on a tubular element 14 provided with two means for rigidly coupling it at 15 and 16, respectively with the drilling device and with the tubing. These rigid coupling means 15 and 16 are preferably elastic members inserted in helicoidal grooves in the tubular element 14.

The system of rods 10 may be hollow so as to permit of the injection of water or of mud to facilitate drilling, these being evacuated with the rubble through the conduit 17 Vprovided on the element 14.

With this arrangement, the driving device 13 is coupled at 15 with the system of rods 10, which drives the drilling `member 11. When the drilling has advanced sufficiently,

or when the nature of the soil makes tubing necessary, the driving device 13 is coupled at 16 with the tubing 12. This coupling may also be made with or without continu- 30 'ation of the drilling. The tubing is then brought into position inside the drilled portion which has previously been completed.

In this way, the operations of drilling and tubing can be carried out without interfering with each other, each using the power of the driving device. They can also be lactuated at the same time by the simultaneous coupling of the means 15 and 16 with the system 10 and the tubing 12.

jpairs of eccentrically-Weighted ily-wheels 22 and 23,

mounted on two horizontal axes spaced apart in height and at right angles to each other.

In the arrangement shown, the pinions 24 and 25 engage with the pinions 26 of the fly-wheels 22, and rotate freelyon the shaft 21. They may be rigidly coupled to this shaft by means of a dog 27 sliding on a castellated portion of the shaft 21. In this way, it is possible to drive the pair of ily-wheels in one direction or the other by actuating them either by the pinions 24 or by the pinions 25. Any other arrangement may also be provided in order to obtain the combinations of movements described in the U.S. patent application No. 542,006 of October 2l, 1955 now Patent No. 2,867,984.

The assembly of the eccentrically-weighted y-wheels and their driving members may be enclosed in a uidtight manner in the tubular element 18, between the platforms 28 and 29. A lifting ring is provided at 30.

This assembly is provided at 31 with a coupling member for the tubing 32, this member being for example of the expandable or inflatable type which is inflated or expanded by means of a compressed gas or uid through pipe means 36 and a pump 37.

With this arrangement, the various phases of the operation of drilling and tubing are as follows:

Drilling by driving the bucket 18 alone;

Lifting the bucket 18 for the extraction of the earth;

Driving the tubing 32 into the bore-hole which has just been cut, by coupling together the tubing 32 and the bucket 18 at a suitable height, by means of the inllatable fitting 31;

' A fresh drilling operation by the bucket 18, disengaged i from the tubing, and so on.

lation of lifting the member 18, which forms at the same `time the extraction bucket, the knives 33 pivot inwards if necessary, in order to pass inside the tubing 32. The `lower part of the bucket 18 may be provided with hinged aps 3S.

By virtue of the coupling member 31, either the whole vof the available power of the motor 20 can be employed -for driving the bucket element 18 by its sinking drum 19,

o r alternatively this power can be employed for driving the tubing 32 into a hole already drilled by the sinking drum 19, or again the ensure the simultaneous driving of the bucket element and the tubing 32, the latter passing Vinto the hole drilled bythe sinking drum 19 as and when the hole is drilled.

It will of course be understood that the arrangements described and shown have no restrictive character and ,may be provided With all alternative forms of construction falling within the scope of the appended claims.

What we. claim is:

l. A machine of the class described comprising a drilling member for drilling holes, a retaining means connected to said drilling member, tubing means for reinforcing the hole dug by said drilling member, a driving device producing impulses at least in a vertical direction, a tubular element mounted on said driving device, said tubular element surrounding the upper end of said retaining means of said drilling member, a portion of said tubulai element being positioned within said tubing means, coupling means mounted on said tubular element, and means to actuate said coupling means for rigidly coupling said tubular element to said retaining means of said drilling member and to said tubing means to drive said Vdrilling member and tubing means by said driving device respectively and simultaneously.

2. A machine of the class described comprising a drilling device for drilling a hole, a device for extracting rubble mounted on the drilling device, a driving device mounted on said drilling device and producing impulses nected to said drilling member, tubing means for reinforcing the hole dug by said drilling member, an impulsedriving device having motor-driven eccentrically-weighted fly-wheels, a tubular element connected to said impulsedriving device, said tubular element surrounding the upper end of said retaining means of said drilling member, a portion of the tubular element being positioned within the tubing means, coupling means mounted on said tubular element, and means to actuate said coupling means for rigidly coupling said tubular element to said retaining means 0f said drilling member and to said tubing means to drive the drilling member and tubing means by said driving device respectively and simultaneously.

4. A machine of the class described comprising a drilling device for drilling a hole, "a device for extracting rubble mounted on said drilling device, an impulse-driving device having motor-driven eccentrically-weighted il"- wheels mounted on said drilling device, tubing means for reinforcing the hole dug by said drilling device surrounding said drilling device, coupling means mounted 0n said drilling device, and means to actuate said coupling means for rigidly coupling said drilling device and tubing means and for driving said tubing means into the hole dug by said drilling device. l

5. A machine according to claim 2 in which said coupling means include expandable members, and said means to actuate said expandable members include pipe means and pump means connected to said expandable members to supply a medium to said expandable members for expanding them.

6. A machine of the class described comprising a drilling member for drilling holes, a retaining means connected to said drilling member, tubing means for reinforcing the hole dug by said drilling member, a driving device producing impulses at least in a vertical direction, a tubular element mounted on said driving device, said Vtubular element surrounding the upper end of said retaining means of lsaid drilling member, a portion of said tubular element being positioned within said tubing means, expandable means mounted on said tubular element, and means connected to said expandable means to supply a medium thereto to expand said expandable rmeans to rigidly couple said tubular element to said retaining means of said drilling member and to said tubing means to drive said drilling member and tubing means by said driving device respectively and simultaneously.

References Cited in the tile of this patent 

